BUDGET HISTORY
I take great pride and care in my role on council during the budget process to pass responsible and effective budgets that focus on delivering the priorities set from citizen input in the Strategic Plan for the term of Council. Our Tax Levy increases have consistently been the lowest of the 3 major cities in the the Region. I study our budget packages, take information and comments from residents and work together with other members of council and staff to come up with an effective budget that delivers our core services and focuses on citizen priorities. Here's a brief history of the budgets I've been part of.
2024 Budget Highlights
For the average home in Kitchener, the proposed rate increases for 2024 were:
Property taxes: 3.9 per cent, or $47 annually  (Inflation Rate At Budget Time was 4.0%)
Water Utility: 4.9 per cent, or $21 annually  
Sanitary Sewer Utility: 7.1 per cent, or $39 annually  
Stormwater Utility: 7.4 per cent, or $17 annually
Council was able to allocate 1.6 million dollars towards strategic plan priorities including:
  • $400k for additional traffic calming and trail connections in neighbourhoods
  • $200k to develop an arena energy strategy as part of the city’s Corporate Climate Action Plan 2.0
  • $300k to move forward with two additional playgrounds replacements
  • $200k to develop a Municipal Newcomers Strategy, including community engagement
  • $300k to improve access and increase usage at Cameron Heights Pool
  • $200k to implement of a city-wide data strategy to build organization-wide data practices to deliver better services for residents
Some Key Investments Include:
  • Rosenberg Community Centre ($2.9M in 2024)
  • Mill Courtland Community Centre ($2M in 2024)
  • Downtown Fire Hall ($7.3M in 2024-2025)
  • Full Road Reconstruction Projects ($40M in 2024)
  • Upper Hidden Valley Sewage Pumping Station ($19M in 2024)
  • Cycling Infrastructure ($700k in 2024, $7.6M overall)
  • Traffic Calming ($424k in 2024, $4.6M overall)
  • Aquatics Centre at Schlegel Park ($56M in 2024-2025)
  • Indoor Turf Field at Schlegel Park ($38M in 2024-2025)
  • New Neighbourhood Parks ($1.9M in 2024, $21M overall)
  • Urban Forestry ($1.4M in 2024, $11.5M overall)

Full 2024 Budget Information is HERE
2023 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impact on the average home were:
​Property tax 4.8% or $56.00 Annually or $4.67 per month. (Below the 7.0% rate of inflation)
Water Utility Increase of 4.5% or $42.00 Annually (Water, Sanitary & Stormwater) 
Highlights included:
  • ​1 million dollar annual investment in Parks, Trails & Playgrounds
  • Investments in Citizen Priorities of Traffic Calming, Paving of Trails, Free Recreation Programming and Arts & Culture
  • Additional Community Grant Funds for Love My Hood & RISE (Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity)
  • Funding to address Affordable Housing by advancing the review of Kitchener's lodging house by-law.
  • Investments for Outdoor Rinks, Cycling Infrastructure, Community Centres, Urban Forestry, a Downtown Firehall
  • Investment in capital infrastructure like roads, water mains, recreation facilities, active transportation networks and parks
  • Maintained current service levels despite economic realities, including skyrocketing inflation, cost increases due to supply chain issues and volatility in fuel costs due to the war in Ukraine.
For the information release on the 2023 budget click HERE
2022 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impact on the average home were:
Property Tax: 1.99% ($23 dollars per year)
Storm Water Utility: 6% ($12 per year)
Sanitary Sewer Utility: 1.6% ($8 per year)
Water Utility: 2.2% ($26 dollars per year)
​Gas Utility: 10.4% ($74 dollars per year)
While still dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, here's how we made progress on the shared community priorities of our 2019-2022 Strategic Plan:
  • Great Customer Service - 1.6 million to improve and enhance customer service
  • People Friendly Transportation - Began funding of $550,000 over 3 years for 40Kmh residential speed limit.
  • Environmental Leadership - Continued funding of 5.5 Million over 10 years for our Urban Forest Strategy
  • Caring Community - $350,000 for Indigenous Placemaking
  • Vibrant Economy - 3.6 Million for Downtown Infrastructure Improvements
We also included...
  • $2 million to create an Affordable Housing Reserve Fund to offset the costs of developing affordable and supportive housing as outlined in our Housing For All Strategy. 
  • Moving further on our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism & Indigenous work
  • Investments in the economy for pandemic recovery projects through our Make it Kitchener 2.0 Economic​
  • Restarting projects paused in 2021 due to the pandemic
  • Upgrdes to Parks, Trails and City Facilities.
2021 Budget Highlights
The ​COVID-19 Pandemic brought unprecedented challenges. Kitchener lost millions of dollars in revenue from closed facilities, reduced parking, and a variety of sources. Thankfully prudent budget planning and a decade of paying down debt, funding reserves and planning infrastructure work over the long term put the City of Kitchener in a relatively strong fiscal position heading into the pandemic.
The approved increases and impact on the average home were:
Property Tax: 0.95% ($11 dollars per year)
Storm Water Utility: 6.0% ($11 dollars per year)
Sanitary Sewer Utility: 0% (0 dollars per year)
Water Utility: 0% ($0 dollars per year)
​Gas Utility: 1.50% (11 dollars per year)
  • Maintains our core services and operations and addresses priorities set in our Strategic Plan.
  • The City took immediate action to mitigate the financial impacts including delaying $21 million in capital projects that could be safely deferred, freezing discretionary spending across the corporation, and temporarily laying off a significant portion of its workforce – 43 per cent of all staff at its peak.
  • This budget maintains valued programs and services for our community and ensures we build back better through strategic priorities like our new Equity, Anti-Racism & Indigenous Initiatives team, investments in active transportation and our Make It Kitchener 2.0 economic development strategy.
  • We were grateful for the Safe Restart Funding we received from the federal and provincial governments, which was extremely helpful to address the significant shortfalls in 2020​
2020 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impact on the average home were:
​Property Tax: 2.09%  ($23 per year)
Storm Water Utility: 5.00%  ($10 per year)
Water Utility: 2.90%  ($15 per year)
Sanitary Sewer Utility: 3.30% ($25​ per year)
Gas Utility: 1.01% ($7 per year)
  • Keeps our delivery of core services and operations strong.
  • A focus on our City’s 5 Strategic Plan Goals: Environmental Leadership, Caring Community, Vibrant Economy, People-Friendly Transportation and Great Customer Service.
  • Aligned with our Long-Term Financial Plan to minimize financial risk and keep Kitchener’s strong financial position. Strengthened our Reserve Fund balances
  • Advances Kitchener’s Strategic Plan Priorities with Affordable Housing Investment, an Urban Forest Strategy, Protected Cycling Network, Neighbourhood Grants and Enhanced Customer Service,
  • Advances our Corporate Climate Action Plan, energy saving upgrades to arenas and community centres, purchase of hybrid and electric vehicles for our city fleet.
  • Water and Utility increases went to addressing our aging infrastructure by replacing and maintaining to increase reliability and lifespan. 
2019 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impact on the average home were:
Property Tax: 2.25%  ($25 per year)
​Storm Water Utility: 7.2% ($13 per year)
Water: 4.5% ($21 per year)
Sanitary: 8%  ($44 per year)
Gas Utility: Decrease of 0.93% (Decrease of $7 for the year) 
  • ​Sustains our core services and operations and addresses priorities we heard in the election campaign and strategic plan.
  • Environmental Sustainability – Funding our Urban Forest Strategy to clear the backlog of trees needing replacement and increase inspections to prolong tree life.  Creating a sustainability program to meet our targets for decreasing Green House Gas Emissions. Creating a Retrofit Reserve to fund projects that save energy and on energy costs. Increase in the use of Biodiesel for our fleet.
  • Road Safety And Cycling – Funding for installing protected bike lanes on Belmont, Water & Queen Streets, Replace the Trestle Bridge and improve the lighting on the Iron Horse Trail, clearing snow in bike lanes and Increasing resident-led traffic calming opportunities.
  • Improved Customer Service – Funding for improving the online customer service and making it simple and easy for customers to do business and get information.
  • Maintaining And Investing In Our Infrastructure – Funding for rehabilitating the outdoor spaces at City Hall to make necessary repairs and improve the space for gatherings and events.
  • The Utility Rate increases fulfill the funding needed for our ongoing strategy that sustainably funds replacing critical infrastructure at the end of it’s lifecycle. It also provides for proactive maintenance that extends the life of current infrastructure. 
2018 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impacts on the average home were:
Property Tax: 1.60% ($17 per year)
Storm Water Utility: 9.9% ($14 per year)
Water: 4% ($20 per year)
Sanitary: 6.9% ($39 per year)
Gas Utility: Decrease of 2.28% (Decrease of $18 for the year) 
  • Maintains our core services and operations and addresses priorities set in our Strategic Plan.
  • Investments in neighbourhoods, green spaces, public spaces and trails.
  • Funding for Kiwanis and McLennan Parks brought up to the same levels as the Huron Natural Area and Victoria Park.
  • Creating financial efficiencies and increasing road and sidewalk safety by combining road reconstruction projects with community elements like a pedestrian first plaza, decorative sidewalks and intersection design, and redevelopment of a nearby green spaces
  • Completing the paving, widening, and lighting of all three sections of our Iron Horse Trail
  • Extra resources in parks development, the neighbourhood development office and active transportation planning to strengthen community connections in neighbourhoods and public spaces.
  • Utility rate increases fulfilled the ongoing funding needed for our strategy to sustainably fund replacing critical infrastructure at the end of it’s lifecycle and provide for proactive maintenance to extend the life of current infrastructure. 
2017 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impacts on the average home were:
Property Tax: 1.73% ($18 per year)
Storm Water Utility: 9.2% ($13 per year)
Water: 7.0% ($31 per year)
Sanitary: 9.8 ($49 per year)
Gas Utility: 9.85% ($71 per year)
  • Maintains our core services and operations and addresses priorities set in our Strategic Plan.
  • Providing funding for splash pads at Kiwanis Park and Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre
  • Moves us forward with things like Digital Kitchener, the Kitchener Public Library system and the Love My Hood Neighbourhood Strategy
  • Provides Funding for Splash Pads at Kiwanis Park and Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre.
  • Fulfilled new minimum wage obligation
  • Decreased our City's debt load
  • The utility rate increases were necessary in sustainably funding our multi-year strategy to address replacing critical infrastructure that's at the end of it’s lifecycle. It also provides for proactive maintenance that extends the life of less older infrastructure. 
2016 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impacts on the average home were:
Property Tax: 1.46% ($15 per year)
Storm Water Utility: 9.2% ($12 per year)
Water: 7.6% ($29 per year)
Sanitary: 10.8% ($47 per year)
Gas Utility: Decreased by 19.02% ($160 decrease per year)
  • Keeps the delivery of our core services and operations strong.
    Continued funding to address urgent Water, Stormwater and Sanitary Infrastructure backlog.
  • Funding of $750,000 for improvements to the central section of the Iron Horse Trail
  • Funding of $2.5 million for legislated upgrades to Kiwanis Park pool in 2017.
  • Continued funding to develop neighbourhood festivals. Increased funding for community gardens to support existing gardens and create new gardens.
  • Our funding of $250,000 was matched by Canada 150 grant program to expand the city’s Wi-Fi network at places like the Memorial Auditorium, Arenas, and Victoria and McLennan parks.
  • Funding for necessary repairs at the Centre In The Square.
  • New Dispatch System for Kitchener Fire Department that allows for revenue generation from other municipalities who contract us for their dispatch service.
  • Funding to make playgrounds more accessible.
  • Economic Development Investment in expanding the Communitech Hub, incubating Arts and Manufacturing opportunities and growing the local music and film industries
2015 Budget Highlights
The approved increases and impacts on the average home were:
Property Tax: 1.91% ($19.59 per year)
Storm Water Utility: 3% ($4 per year)
Water: 9.9%  ($43 per year)
Sanitary: 9.9% ($49 per year)
Gas Utility: 0.70%( $6 per year)
  • ​Keeps the delivery of our core services and operation strong.
  • Provided community investment in key areas identified as priorities by citizens and strengthened the City’s financial position by lowering debt levels and increasing reserve balances.
  • Funding for the work on the South Kitchener District Park on Huron Road to begin (now named RBJ Schlegel Park thanks to their generous sponsorship)
  • Funding to increase proactive maintenance of street trees.
  • Funding to create more outdoor family activities on city streets.
  • Funding to ensure no one needing financial assistance to participate in City Programming is turned under the Leisure Access Card program
  • Adding $450,000 to the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund to fund operating budget deficits arising from unforeseen and/or extraordinary events.
  • Funding to increase online community engagement opportunities for residents.
  • Funding support for the new Waterloo Regional Economic Development Corporation for the development and delivery of the first-ever combined Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy to attract jobs and investment to the Region.
  • Support for affordable housing through bonusing provisions to be included in zoning regulations and investigation for further development incentives.
  • Utility rate increases were needed because significant portions of our water and sanitary system were reaching the end of their lifecycle and urgently needed to be replaced. Watermain breaks were frequent. This funding began an ongoing multi-year Water Infrastructure Plan that combines replacement and proactive maintenance to extend the lifecycle of this critical infrastructure. Not enough funding or work was done in previous decades. We had to address it right away.